1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an image scanning apparatus, such as a scanner, a printing unit, such as a printer, and the function of reading a digital image stored in a storage medium, and in particular, to an image forming apparatus that combines a digital image and a user-handwritten image.
2. Description of the Related Art
As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-80789, an invention to combine a digital image stored in a storage medium and a handwritten image scanned by a scanner and print it is known as one of the functions of multifunction peripherals.
Such an image forming system is configured such that a handwriting combining sheet to which a handwritten image is written is printed, the handwriting combining sheet to which the handwritten image is written is scanned, the handwritten image is extracted from the image on the handwriting combining sheet, and the extracted handwritten image is combined with a digital image. As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-49620, a method for specifying the position of a handwritten image written on a handwriting combining sheet when scanning the handwriting combining sheet, thereby achieving more accurate combination has been proposed.
However, the foregoing related-art examples have a problem in that if the handwriting combining sheet in an inclined state is placed on a document plate when scanning the handwriting combining sheet, the handwritten image on the handwriting combining sheet is combined in the inclined state. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a picture image that a user desires to combine. The picture image is the object to be combined. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the result of combination in the case where the handwriting combining sheet is scanned in a state in which it is not inclined with respect to the document plate. FIG. 1C is a diagrams illustrating a state in which the handwriting combining sheet is placed in an inclined state on a document plate in a related-art example. A handwritten image 55 is characters or pictures written by a user with a writing material, such as a pen. FIG. 1C is a diagram showing the result of composition in the case where the handwriting combining sheet is scanned at an angle with respect to the document plate. In the related-art example, as shown in FIG. 1C, a handwritten image 55b is combined at an angle and out of position with respect to the picture image.
Likewise, when the handwriting combining sheet is placed in reverse, the handwritten image 55 is combined in the reverse state. To prevent it, the portion of the handwriting combining sheet to be located at the abutting portion of the document plate when scanning the handwriting combining sheet is designated. That is, there is the problem of low flexibility in placing the handwriting combining sheet on the document plate.